Speaking from the heart

Anna was just 25, and newly married living near Oxford when she suffered a massive stroke, caused by a tumour in her heart. It initially left her locked in – unable to let the world around her know that she was even conscious.

Mike Wooldridge hears Anna’s extraordinary story: the sheer terror she felt when she realized she was unable to move a muscle or make a sound; the confusion of not knowing where she was and what had happened to her; and the spiritual struggles as Anna, who’d been brought up a Christian, became convinced that she must have done something terrible for God to punish her in this way.

Anna’s surgeon, Stephen Westaby, explains why Anna had to endure no fewer than five open heart operations, each more complex than the one before. And we find out how gradually, Anna learnt to communicate again and came to realise that God still loved her.

Today Anna is playing a healing role in her church community. And she says she thanks God every morning that she is still alive – even though over 30 years after her stroke, she remains paralysed and dependent on a wheelchair.

Producer: Kristine Pommert
Reader: Lex Parry
Music research: Katie Harris
Editor: Anna Stewart
A CTVC production for the BBC World Service

(Photo: A stethoscope and a red heart shape. Credit: Myriams Photos)

Audio Recording of How Can I Keep From Singing kindly provided by the National Lutheran Choir, Dr. Jennaya Robison, artistic director
Copyright © National Lutheran Choir. Used by permission.